Best LGBT Mystery / Thriller
And the Rainbow Award goes to:
1) J.M. Redmann - Water Mark
Paperback: 264 pages
Publisher: Bold Strokes Books (September 14, 2010)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 1602821798
ISBN-13: 978-1602821798
Amazon: Water Mark
Wonderful book, well written. Had my attention from the very first word to the last. --Debra
Redmann portrays the horrors of Katrina masterfully, from the setting to the characters, all while weaving an mystery with many twists and turns. --Julie
It’s just one more body in one more destroyed house. In New Orleans, a few months after Katrina, there are thousands of destroyed houses and hundreds of body yet to be found. Can one more matter? It does to Micky Knight as she takes on the quixotic search to find out who the woman was and why she might have died there. But is Micky searching for justice or just doing anything to avoid confronting the ways Katrina destroyed everything that had tied her to New Orleans? In a city that doesn’t even have working stoplights, there seems little need for a private investigator. Her friends are all struggling with their own disrupted lives, lost jobs, destroyed homes. And the woman Micky thought she’d be with forever, Cordelia James, hasn’t returned. Micky’s investigation leads to a tangle of greed and deceit that stretches back generations. Someone is using the destruction wrought by the flooding to finish what was started a hundred years ago. To stop them Micky will have to risk not just life and limb, but any chance to reconnect with Cordelia and rebuild the life she had before Katina. But if she doesn’t stop them, a young Midwestern teenager whose only crime was wanting to help the destroyed city, will be the next body left in an abandoned house. The sixth Micky Knight mystery.
2) Greg Herren & J.M. Redmann - Women of the Mean Streets
Paperback: 288 pages
Publisher: Bold Strokes Books (August 16, 2011)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 1602822417
ISBN-13: 978-1602822412
Amazon: Women of the Mean Streets
Women. Crime. Justice. At least the search for it. On the mean streets, the back allies, the dark corners. These are stories of tough women in hard places. The nights are long, the women are fast, and danger is always a short block or quick minute away. Edited by award winning author/editors J.M. Redmann and Greg Herren, Women of the Mean Streets is an anthology of some of the top, tough women crime writers today, noir stories with a lesbian twist.
3-tie) Julie Bozza - The Definitive Albert J. Sterne
Publisher: Manifold Press
A very gripping thriller. At first I was a bit shocked that it has almost 700 pages but once I started reading I couldn’t stop. The part I enjoyed the most was the love story between the two main protagonists. All the characters have depth and are complex which made them very realistic. I found this book very fascinating and I will definitely read it again. --Verena
The book was a refreshing change from the usual "m/m-fare" and had a great mix of a real thriller and romance, although with a character like Albert I am not sure if romance is the right word... ;-) One problem I had was that I was missing some explanation for why Albert was the way he was. --Uli
Albert Sterne, forensics expert with the FBI, is so obnoxious on the surface that no-one bothers digging deeper. When he’s sent to Colorado to investigate what turns out to be the work of a serial killer he encounters Special Agent Fletcher Ash and they end up reluctantly joining forces to unravel the case. It’s only a matter of duty, though; it can’t be more, because Albert doesn’t do friendship - and he certainly doesn’t do love!
EM Lynley - Rarer Than Rubies
Paperback: 214 pages
Publisher: Dreamspinner Press (July 29, 2011)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 1615819304
ISBN-13: 978-1615819300
Amazon: Rarer Than Rubies
I really enjoyed this book. Not a book I would have ever thought to buy. The adventure was outrageous and I found myself laughing out loud. --Marilyn
Really enjoyed this one and sat up till 12.30 (way past my bedtime) last night because I had to finish it to see what happened. It's been a while since I've had to do that with a story. --Anne
When Trent Copeland runs into Reed Acton at a Bangkok airport, he thinks the handsome American is too good to be true. Why would someone like Reed be interested in a quiet, introverted gay-romance writer? After all, even an obvious tourist like Trent can see that there is more to Reed's constant unexplained appearances in his path than meets the eye. Reed Acton has one mission and one mission only-he needs to get the map that was accidentally slipped into Trent's bag and keep the mobsters who want the priceless artifact from taking deadly revenge. Trent Copeland is a delicious and damned near irresistible diversion, but Reed can't afford distractions right now, especially if he wants to keep Trent safe. From Bangkok's seediest back alleys to the sacred north, the two men will fight to stay one step ahead of the bad guys and learn that the only treasure worth finding is... each other.
Honourable Mention:
5) John F. Rooney - Unprotected Love
Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/dp/0975275615/?tag=elimyrevandra-20
I must admit when I first started this book I didn’t think I was going to like it... but by about 10 pages in I couldn’t put it down. It kept me guessing the whole way through... I will definitely be looking for more of this persons work... I liked the fact that there was no major love interest... it was a brilliant police story. --Norma
6) Marshall Thornton - Boystown 3
Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/dp/1610402405/?tag=elimyrevandra-20
I'm definitely going to have to go back and read the first couple of Boystown books. I have to admit the first couple of pages didn't pull me in, but once I got into the book it was really interesting. The main hero wasn't all that likeable but there was a certain something about him, this was a promiscuous private investigator in AIDS era Chicago and it seemed very familiar but different all at the same time. --Ellis
7-tie) JoAnne Soper-Cook - Willing Flesh
Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/dp/1608201104/?tag=elimyrevandra-20
Wonderful idea and very enjoyable story. Characters and the Victorian London setting seem genuine and believable. --Alan
L.A. Witt - Cover Me
Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B0045JLR86/?tag=elimyrevandra-20
When paramedic Nick Swain responds to a shooting in a seedy neighborhood, his entire world is thrown off its axis. His life is threatened…twice. Allegations of racism and medical neglect threaten his career and his ability to sleep at night. Not that he’ll be sleeping any time soon after the incident throws him into the path - and arms - of Detective Andrew Carmichael. One hot night after another with Andrew may help Nick relieve some stress, but sex won’t solve every problem in his life.
Marshall Thornton - Desert Run
Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/dp/161040145X/?tag=elimyrevandra-20
The author did an excellent job setting the scene; even before he started to clearly define when the story took place, I was able to get a sense of the time period. The writing was great and the setting was interesting. --Shanna
10) Greg Herren - Who Dat Whodunnit
Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/dp/1602822255/?tag=elimyrevandra-20
Very good plot with quite a bit of suspense. I don't know much about New Orleans, but I can tell that the author does. I could feel that there was a lot of history and knowledge there. I liked the way the Superbowl win was described and used as a part of the story-- it's such a unique take on that event. I loved the characters. I loved the contrast of the different families and how they treated each other. I'm actually probably going to go back and get more of this series, because I really liked the characters and wanted to know more about them. --Kirsten
1) J.M. Redmann - Water Mark
Paperback: 264 pages
Publisher: Bold Strokes Books (September 14, 2010)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 1602821798
ISBN-13: 978-1602821798
Amazon: Water Mark
Wonderful book, well written. Had my attention from the very first word to the last. --Debra
Redmann portrays the horrors of Katrina masterfully, from the setting to the characters, all while weaving an mystery with many twists and turns. --Julie
It’s just one more body in one more destroyed house. In New Orleans, a few months after Katrina, there are thousands of destroyed houses and hundreds of body yet to be found. Can one more matter? It does to Micky Knight as she takes on the quixotic search to find out who the woman was and why she might have died there. But is Micky searching for justice or just doing anything to avoid confronting the ways Katrina destroyed everything that had tied her to New Orleans? In a city that doesn’t even have working stoplights, there seems little need for a private investigator. Her friends are all struggling with their own disrupted lives, lost jobs, destroyed homes. And the woman Micky thought she’d be with forever, Cordelia James, hasn’t returned. Micky’s investigation leads to a tangle of greed and deceit that stretches back generations. Someone is using the destruction wrought by the flooding to finish what was started a hundred years ago. To stop them Micky will have to risk not just life and limb, but any chance to reconnect with Cordelia and rebuild the life she had before Katina. But if she doesn’t stop them, a young Midwestern teenager whose only crime was wanting to help the destroyed city, will be the next body left in an abandoned house. The sixth Micky Knight mystery.
2) Greg Herren & J.M. Redmann - Women of the Mean Streets
Paperback: 288 pages
Publisher: Bold Strokes Books (August 16, 2011)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 1602822417
ISBN-13: 978-1602822412
Amazon: Women of the Mean Streets
Women. Crime. Justice. At least the search for it. On the mean streets, the back allies, the dark corners. These are stories of tough women in hard places. The nights are long, the women are fast, and danger is always a short block or quick minute away. Edited by award winning author/editors J.M. Redmann and Greg Herren, Women of the Mean Streets is an anthology of some of the top, tough women crime writers today, noir stories with a lesbian twist.
3-tie) Julie Bozza - The Definitive Albert J. Sterne
Publisher: Manifold Press
A very gripping thriller. At first I was a bit shocked that it has almost 700 pages but once I started reading I couldn’t stop. The part I enjoyed the most was the love story between the two main protagonists. All the characters have depth and are complex which made them very realistic. I found this book very fascinating and I will definitely read it again. --Verena
The book was a refreshing change from the usual "m/m-fare" and had a great mix of a real thriller and romance, although with a character like Albert I am not sure if romance is the right word... ;-) One problem I had was that I was missing some explanation for why Albert was the way he was. --Uli
Albert Sterne, forensics expert with the FBI, is so obnoxious on the surface that no-one bothers digging deeper. When he’s sent to Colorado to investigate what turns out to be the work of a serial killer he encounters Special Agent Fletcher Ash and they end up reluctantly joining forces to unravel the case. It’s only a matter of duty, though; it can’t be more, because Albert doesn’t do friendship - and he certainly doesn’t do love!
EM Lynley - Rarer Than Rubies
Paperback: 214 pages
Publisher: Dreamspinner Press (July 29, 2011)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 1615819304
ISBN-13: 978-1615819300
Amazon: Rarer Than Rubies
I really enjoyed this book. Not a book I would have ever thought to buy. The adventure was outrageous and I found myself laughing out loud. --Marilyn
Really enjoyed this one and sat up till 12.30 (way past my bedtime) last night because I had to finish it to see what happened. It's been a while since I've had to do that with a story. --Anne
When Trent Copeland runs into Reed Acton at a Bangkok airport, he thinks the handsome American is too good to be true. Why would someone like Reed be interested in a quiet, introverted gay-romance writer? After all, even an obvious tourist like Trent can see that there is more to Reed's constant unexplained appearances in his path than meets the eye. Reed Acton has one mission and one mission only-he needs to get the map that was accidentally slipped into Trent's bag and keep the mobsters who want the priceless artifact from taking deadly revenge. Trent Copeland is a delicious and damned near irresistible diversion, but Reed can't afford distractions right now, especially if he wants to keep Trent safe. From Bangkok's seediest back alleys to the sacred north, the two men will fight to stay one step ahead of the bad guys and learn that the only treasure worth finding is... each other.
Honourable Mention:
5) John F. Rooney - Unprotected Love
Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/dp/0975275615/?tag=elimyrevandra-20
I must admit when I first started this book I didn’t think I was going to like it... but by about 10 pages in I couldn’t put it down. It kept me guessing the whole way through... I will definitely be looking for more of this persons work... I liked the fact that there was no major love interest... it was a brilliant police story. --Norma
6) Marshall Thornton - Boystown 3
Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/dp/1610402405/?tag=elimyrevandra-20
I'm definitely going to have to go back and read the first couple of Boystown books. I have to admit the first couple of pages didn't pull me in, but once I got into the book it was really interesting. The main hero wasn't all that likeable but there was a certain something about him, this was a promiscuous private investigator in AIDS era Chicago and it seemed very familiar but different all at the same time. --Ellis
7-tie) JoAnne Soper-Cook - Willing Flesh
Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/dp/1608201104/?tag=elimyrevandra-20
Wonderful idea and very enjoyable story. Characters and the Victorian London setting seem genuine and believable. --Alan
L.A. Witt - Cover Me
Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B0045JLR86/?tag=elimyrevandra-20
When paramedic Nick Swain responds to a shooting in a seedy neighborhood, his entire world is thrown off its axis. His life is threatened…twice. Allegations of racism and medical neglect threaten his career and his ability to sleep at night. Not that he’ll be sleeping any time soon after the incident throws him into the path - and arms - of Detective Andrew Carmichael. One hot night after another with Andrew may help Nick relieve some stress, but sex won’t solve every problem in his life.
Marshall Thornton - Desert Run
Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/dp/161040145X/?tag=elimyrevandra-20
The author did an excellent job setting the scene; even before he started to clearly define when the story took place, I was able to get a sense of the time period. The writing was great and the setting was interesting. --Shanna
10) Greg Herren - Who Dat Whodunnit
Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/dp/1602822255/?tag=elimyrevandra-20
Very good plot with quite a bit of suspense. I don't know much about New Orleans, but I can tell that the author does. I could feel that there was a lot of history and knowledge there. I liked the way the Superbowl win was described and used as a part of the story-- it's such a unique take on that event. I loved the characters. I loved the contrast of the different families and how they treated each other. I'm actually probably going to go back and get more of this series, because I really liked the characters and wanted to know more about them. --Kirsten